As of this win, the U.S. is now 3 for 4 on Olympic golds, during the four Summer Games that have offered women's soccer. Our only loss was to Norway in 2000. We also got thumped by Brazil in the last World Cup. So our team had some mental damage control to do as a result of that defeat.

In softball, however, the U.S. had to settle for silver. For the second time at Beijing, our team ran into the buzzsaw of Japan's formidable pitcher Yukiko Ueno. The first time, in the eliminations, we squeaked to a victory...barely. This time Ueno had her way. Star U.S. hitter Crystl Bustos hit a homer and out bi Vicky Galindo pulled off a pinch hit, but it wasn't enough.

The stunning 3-1 upset came after an eight-year stretch of the U.S. team being undefeated, going back to softball's start in Olympic competition. Many of the teams that we crushed were just not playing at the same level as the U.S. -- our country has long decades of grassroots community-level depth and tradition in this sport to draw from. Unfortunately for Team USA, Japan was not one of the easy victims.

But hey -- we did get a silver medal, not a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Which meant that Galindo and out lesbian catcher Lauren Lappin were on the podium for a team medal. Crystl Bustos, who is known as the "Babe Ruth of women's softball," was all class -- the first to shake hands with the Japanese team and congratulate them. When the day is done, sports-humanship still matters at the Olympics. I think our team should leave Beijing proud of their historic achievements

Sad to say, softball is off the Olympic program after Beijing. Though efforts are being made to restore it for 2012, no one knows if the sport will be back. So it's the end of the road for this team, and they're retiring. After the medals ceremony, the women went to home base, took off their cleats and left them there as a goodbye.

One last team final is ahead, on August 23, as Norway plays Russia for the women's handball gold. Norway's Gro Hammerseng and her partner Katya Nyberg are both out lesbians on the team.

On the individual competition front, out gay male Matthew Mitcham of Australia will be in the line-up for the men's 10m platform diving, as the Beijing Games begin to have that feel of coming to an end in a few days.